Released 23 April 1971 Genre Blues rock Label Rolling Stones
Virgin | Recorded March 1970 Length 3:51 | |
Writer(s) Mick Jagger
Keith Richards | ||
"Sway" is a song by English rock 'n roll band The Rolling Stones from their 1971 album Sticky Fingers. It was also released as the b-side of the "Wild Horses" single in June 1971. This single was released in the US only. Initial pressings of the single contain an alternate take; later pressings include the album version instead.
Contents
Credited to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "Sway" is a slower blues song and was the first song recorded by the band at Stargroves.
The song features a bottleneck slide guitar solo during the bridge and a dramatic, virtuoso outro solo (both performed by Mick Taylor). Rhythm guitar performed by Jagger was his first electric guitar performance on an album. The strings on the piece were arranged by Paul Buckmaster, who also worked on other songs from Sticky Fingers. Richards added his backing vocals but provided no guitar to the track. Pete Townshend, Billy Nichols and Ronnie Lane are believed to contribute backing vocals as well.
It was performed live for the first time in Columbus, Ohio, and then at many of the shows on the band's A Bigger Bang Tour in 2006.
A seven-minute version of "Sway" appears on the Carla Olson/Mick Taylor Live at the Roxy album a.k.a. Too Hot for Snakes. Taylor gets to stretch out and solo whereas the Stones version faded at just under four minutes. (Ian McLagan plays piano on this version).
During the Stones' "50 & Counting" concert tour in 2013, the band, accompanied by their guest Mick Taylor, played "Sway" during concerts at Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston. These concerts marked the first time that Taylor played on "Sway" at a Stones concert.
Personnel
Cover versions
The song was covered by the band Overwhelming Colorfast on the 1996 compilation album Super Mixer: A Goldenrod Compilation.
It was also covered by Alvin Youngblood Hart on the October 1997 River North Records release, Paint It Blue: Songs Of The Rolling Stones. Albert Castiglia covered the track on his 2014 album, Solid Ground.